CORN GROWERS CALL ON CONGRESS TO PASS TPP IN 2016

APRIL 2016

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(Posted Mon. Apr 11th, 2016)

The National Corn Growers Association today joined more than 220 national and state food and agriculture organizations in expressing support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership and urging Congress to pass the agreement in 2016.

In a letter to Senate and House leaders, the organizations write, “Delaying the launch of TPP by even a year would represent a $94 billion permanent loss… to the U.S. economy. With net farm income at its lowest level since 2002, the costs of inaction are too high to ignore. We must act now.”

Last year, the United States agreed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement with 11 Asia-Pacific countries representing 40 percent of the world’s economy. TPP countries currently account for 42 percent of U.S. ag exports, at a value of $63 billion annually.

“The TPP presents a valuable opportunity for U.S. agriculture; one that we cannot afford to miss. TPP Is important for the future of rural America, and we urge passage of TPP during this session of Congress,” the letter concludes.